Delta: Concerns as illicit sale of pubic hair booms amongst teenagers
- Sex orkers lament low patronage
- Fraudsters swindle DELSU admission seekers
By Nosa Àkeñzua
The sale of pubic hair has become a thriving business among teenage girls in Delta State.
The Sunday Times investigations have revealed that the girls involved in this trade are predominantly settlers from neighboring Anambra and Edo States who are desperate to break the financial jinx that has enveloped the Nigerian people in recent times. It was gathered that these teenage girls also engage in commercial sex to earn more money. Further investigations have revealed that their modus operandi is to shave their pubic hair, wrap it in their handbags, and then scout for buyers, selling it for N150,000.
Further investigation has revealed that these customers are allegedly ‘ritualists’ who, in turn, burn the hair into charms for bathing and sell them to those willing to travel abroad, seeking good luck among other things.
Sources said unsuspecting ritualists have formed themselves into groups in Asaba, Ibusa, Okpanam, Issele Azagba, and Ogwashi Uku communities, operating under the guise of traditional herbal practitioners to buy pubic hair from teenage girls. These girls are currently not focused on going to school or pursuing higher education after their secondary schools.
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However, Evangelist Philomena Otasowie Enofe of the Mountain of Fire Miracle Ministries (MFM) in the South-South region, who spoke to Sunday Times yesterday, said, “The end time has come because whatever these teenage girls are doing now is a curse upon them. It is taboo to see pubic hair for sale, and suspected ritualists are their patrons. God is angry with evildoers, no matter how highly placed they are. We are set to tour the South-South region soon to oppose this new trend in evil activities. The curse is upon those girls who are now involved in the sale of pubic hair, and if they don’t repent, they will die in mysterious ways.”
Sources further said that every nightfall, these teenage girls converge around hotspots in the mentioned areas where their clients often celebrate them with the purchase of pubic hair, usually at N150,000. In most cases, the money is transferred to their accounts upon receiving their details.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Delta State Police Command, DSP Bright Edafe, confirmed that no fewer than 37 suspected ritualists were arrested on Thursday. He disclosed that upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to their crimes, revealing that the pubic hair is burned into ash and mixed into bathing soap for good luck, especially for those traveling abroad, among other things, at a cost of N500,000 and above. He added that these ritualists make more money than those involved in internet fraud, where blood is used to make money. DSP Bright Edafe said, “we are charging them for their evil activities upon completion of the investigation. We arrested these suspects in Ughelli North, South, and Asaba Forests based on intelligence gathering, and we will continue to search for ritualists anywhere they are in Delta State and apprehend them. There will be no hiding place for criminals in Delta State.”
Meanwhile, commercial sex workers are currently facing the hardship of a poor economy and low patronage, unlike a few years ago when the economy was significantly improved.
Brothels in Asaba, Ibusa, and Okpanam communities visited by our correspondent clearly show that the commercial sex workers have been hit by hard times of low patronage. Juliet (surname withheld), a commercial sex worker at Cable Point in Asaba, said, “We cannot make N6,000 again for a night when we used to make N100,000 sometimes a night or until daybreak. Customers are not coming to us anymore, no matter how we showcase ourselves. The customers who do manage to come will say they have no money and will haggle for N1,500 for a short time, whereas we used to charge N5,000 or N10,000 for a short time. We are appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to help reduce the high cost of living in Nigeria so that we can eat well. There is hunger in Nigeria, and everything is too expensive now in the market.”
In another development, fraudsters, popularly known as scammers, have swindled admission seekers at the Delta State-owned University (DELSU) in Abraka. Reports indicate that the scammers allegedly collected money amounting to N750,000 from six prospective students with the intention of helping them gain admission into the university after they had abysmally failed their post-UME examination at the university.
One of the victims, Kelly Clarkson, stated that he scored 31 percent on his post-UME examination and added, “The fraudsters swindled us out of over N750,000 because they promised to assist us in securing admission into the university, which never happened. We have reported the matter to the police at the Abraka Police Division, and the police are actively pursuing them.” Recall that the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Andy Egwuyenga, had warned desperate admission seekers a few weeks ago to be cautious of fraudsters, popularly known as scammers. He disclosed that anyone who fell prey to them would be arrested, just as the fraudsters would be arrested.
The Vice-Chancellor said, “The university management’s attention has been drawn to the activities of fraudsters, popularly known as scammers, collecting money from admission seekers who did not pass the university post-UME examination. I warn unsuspecting students to be cautious of these fraudsters, and we have deployed security agents to apprehend them. Anyone caught will be prosecuted according to the law.” DSP Bright Edafe, Police Public Relations Officer in the Delta State Police Command, confirmed that the police were pursuing these fraudsters and added that those behind these fraudulent activities would be brought to justice.
